KeKe Wyatt ends decade-long bout with rhythm and abuse
After years of domestic violence, the ingenue returns with Who Knew?
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By L. Michael Gipson
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Soul fans have long believed that to authentically sing the blues, one has to have lived them. Listening to R&B singer Ketara "Keke" Wyatt, 28, wail on Who Knew? (Shanachie), the Indianapolis native's first full-length project in nearly a decade, it's apparent that the statuesque performer has survived a few trials since her 2001 debut, Soul Sista (MCA). In the ensuing years, much of Wyatt's suffering has been fodder for gossip blogs – from domestic violence to Wyatt's adamant, and technically accurate, demands that she be identified as a "mixed race" woman.
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Unperturbed, Wyatt has continued to push forward. "What God has for you is for you; this is what God has for me," says Wyatt, who despite the nine-year stretch between albums, "always just knew it was a matter of time."
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Plenty of time – and two failed record deals with TVT and Cash Money Records – has elapsed since fans last heard Wyatt's pipes. She was an overnight sensation at 18, when she and crooner Avant recorded two platinum-selling duets, including "Nothing in this World." A protégé of famed producer Steve "Stone" Huff, Wyatt had the proper backing, looks, talent and the hits needed to realize pop success.
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107.5 Majic in the Park
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With Keke Wyatt, N'dambi, Gritz and Jelly Butter, Whild Peach with Eva Kennedy, Rhonda Thomas. Free. noon-8 p.m. Sat., May 8. Suwanee Town Center Park, 370 Buford Highway. www.majicatl.com.
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(Photo Shanachie)